What if your church could have a direct hand in planting churches on the other side of the world? What if the young couple sitting in your third row on Sunday morning is exactly who God is calling to carry the gospel to a people group that has never heard the name of Jesus?

The question every pastor and every church needs to answer is this: Is my church going to be a supporting church or a sending church?

Supporting churches are not wrong. But to really take complete ownership of the Great Commission, you need to be a sending church.

The Biblical Model for Sending

The book of Acts, chapter 13, gives us a clear model that Jesus set up for missions. Verses 1 through 3 describe the church at Antioch — a vibrant, outward-focused congregation — and what happened there:

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13:1-3)

It’s worth asking: why did God use the church at Antioch and not the church in Jerusalem? Jerusalem was more focused inward on themselves and really didn’t think about going to the Gentiles — and that’s a warning for churches today. God chose Antioch to become the missions evangelistic center that started it all. He set up the church to be the sending agency.

And then there’s the Great Commission itself. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says “Go ye therefore.” He doesn’t say “Pray ye therefore” or “Give ye therefore.” It’s go. That command was given to the church. A sending church is a church reproducing itself on the mission field, and everything needs to reproduce after its own kind.

The Difference Between Missions-Minded and Missions-Sending

There’s an important distinction to make: the goal is to move from being a missions-minded church — which is great — to being a mission-sending church. When you send one of your own, something shifts. Your people become more involved in praying and giving because now it’s one of their own. There’s a real ownership of the Great Commission that happens.

Out of roughly 2,400 churches affiliated with the BVFI in the United States, only about 248 — just 10% — are sending churches. Every church can be a sending church. Bill Monroe said it well over 20 years ago: every church should be a sending church. I think that’s right.

Common Obstacles — and How to Overcome Them

Before talking about the how, it’s worth naming the obstacles churches face:

  • Lack of evangelism and discipleship at home. If you’re not doing evangelism and discipleship in your own church, you won’t have the fuel you need to send somebody. You’ve got to be strong at home to have a culture that gets sent out.
  • Fear from parents. Many young people surrender for ministry, and then their parents say, “Don’t go.” We dedicate our babies before the church, and then when God calls them, we hold on too tight. If God is calling your child, send them. Let them go.
  • “We’re too small” or “We don’t have enough money.” This is one of the biggest barriers — but it can be overcome with strategic planning.
  • “We can’t afford to lose them.” It’s hard when your best people are the ones who surrender to go. But as the Scripture says, “Give, and it shall be given” (Luke 6:38). God will always replace. It’s always worked.

Step One: Create a Missions Culture

If you’re looking at becoming a sending church, creating a missions culture is probably one to two years of work before you even begin training somebody. It starts with casting a vision. Get your church into a mode of praying and thinking about it, starting with Matthew 9:37-38:

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

I met some young missionary couples in China a number of years ago and asked how they got interested in missions. They said it started back in their church. Their pastor got a burden for more missionaries to go and began to pray, began to speak about it, led his staff to catch the vision. Sunday school teachers talked about going in every class. Children’s classes did research on people groups and gave reports on Wednesday nights. Those young adults started praying — and God answered by sending them.

That’s the 9:38 challenge. God is going to answer one of two ways, if not both: He’ll either send you or send someone else. So be ready.

Make missions audible and regular — always mentioning it, always talking about it. Hold an annual missions conference. Bring in missionaries. Use faith promise missions giving. Some churches even tithe 10% of their general fund into missions, because as one pastor put it, “We ought to be tithing just like we tell our people.”

Step Two: Identify and Develop Prospects

Start watching who God is working in. Look for these characteristics in potential missionary candidates:

  • A burden for the lost — are they sharing the gospel here at home?
  • Leadership ability and current involvement in church ministry
  • A stable marriage — if the marriage isn’t strong here, Satan will attack it on the field
  • A teachable spirit and growing personal evangelism
  • A solid salvation experience and faithful church attendance
  • Highly respected by the majority of the congregation

Put them on a missions trip. Most missionaries, when sharing their testimony, say it was on a mission trip that God really confirmed and finalized His call. Increase their ministry responsibilities. Give them opportunities to teach. Have the pastor personally mentor them. Check their doctrinal background. All of these things help you evaluate and develop the people God may be calling.

Step Three: Plan Financially

Bringing in an intern will likely run around $30,000 to $40,000 a year in salary, plus health insurance, ministry expenses, and housing. That sounds daunting — but it’s achievable with intentional planning.

Here’s a practical approach: if you’re doing faith promise giving, challenge your church two years out. Say, “We want to be a sending church. The next two years, we’re going to increase our giving so we can bring someone in.” Start with 15 couples committing to give $25 extra per month. Build from there. Hold those funds rather than giving them all away to projects. After two years, you’ll have enough to bring in a couple and cover their salary through an internship.

Step Four: Do the Internship

We require at least one year of internship — two years is even better. Churches that send missionaries through a two-year internship find that those missionaries raise their support faster. They’re more mature, more prepared, and when they go out to churches, those churches can see they’re ready.

Even the Apostle Paul was placed into the church at Antioch. He knew how a synagogue worked, but the church was new — so he needed to be in a church. That’s where he was trained, his team was put together, and that’s the church that sent him out.

During the internship, involve your candidate in children’s ministry, youth ministry, young adults, senior adults, staff meetings, deacon meetings, finance and planning. Work on their personal testimony, gospel presentation, discipleship skills. Let them preach — even to the kids. That’s a good place to start.

You’re Not Alone: Partnership with a Mission Agency

One of the most common fears is, “How do we handle the IRS? The medical coverage? The finances?” The answer is that the mission office comes alongside and helps. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Think of it in five words: partnership, pathway, protection, provision, and processing. A good mission agency walks with your missionary from the moment they surrender all the way to the field and beyond — including medical evacuation (we once flew a missionary from Santiago, Chile, to MD Anderson in Houston at no extra cost through our medical plan), crisis response, foreign bank and government assistance, and missionary care.

Putting It Into Practice

Here are some practical next steps for your church:

  1. Pray Matthew 9:38 regularly — and mean it. Be ready for God to answer.
  2. Cast the vision from the pulpit consistently. Talk about missions every chance you get.
  3. Start a sent team — a small group of church members who pray, write, and care for a specific missionary. It’s not about giving more money; it’s about personal investment.
  4. Plan a missions conference — at least annually, and consider a smaller one six months later.
  5. Identify a prospect in your congregation and begin mentoring them intentionally.
  6. Start saving now — even two years of intentional faith promise growth can position your church to bring in an intern.
  7. Answer the commission question: Is your church going to be a supporting church or a sending church?

Supporting is not wrong. But to truly take ownership of the Great Commission — to really, fully embrace what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28 — you need to be sending. Every church can do it. The question is whether every church will.